Seems like evry time I’m told a secret I just have to tell somebody or else it will drive me crazy. Also I can’t tell you how many times people have said to me “I’m not supposed to tell you this but…” so what gives? You can tell me yor secrets safe with me.
Sorry, can’t tell
I think its to do with power; if you know a secret, then you have power(albeit perhaps within a limited scope) and power is something that humans like to demonstrate. There’s also the kind of evangelistic “wish everybody was like me” motive, which can be kind of altruistic (i.e. sharing your secret knowledge of how to get free cheese*) and it makes us feel good when we (think we) are altruistic (yes, I’m well aware that this cancels out the validity of the act being truly altruistic).
[sub]*Sorry, can’t tell you about that one[/sub]
For the same reason many people cannot keep 2c in their pocket without spending it and also that they run up huge credit card debts.
Think of information as currency (which is even etymologically accurate–keeping current) that you can trade for present or future considerations. If you tell someone a secret, they will tell you one, either now or later. There are also information misers, information hoarders and corporate information behaviour. The latter explains why the FBI, CIA, and the NSA will not willingly share information with each other, to our great loss. And how many police chiefs have complained about how niggardly the FBI is with vital (to them) information. It is no different than that Ford, GM, and Chrysler will not share profits.
As a case in point, I just read in yesterday’s paper that NYC and Toronto PDs have exchanged terrorist information officers with each other because neither city can pry terrorist information out their national anti-terrorist organizations.
The bottom line is that people behave with information much as they do with money. Of course, there are differences since information shared is still owned by the donor, but that seems to make less difference than it ought.
** Mangetout**, sorry to share your secret, but
(Spoiler)
You can get free cheese by accidently leaving your milk in the fridge for six months.
(/Spoiler)
“We need help,” said Snibril in a frantic whisper. “What’s Fray? Where can we go to be safe? What should we do? Can’t you tell us?”
The wight leaned closer.
“Can you keep a secret?” It said, conspiratorially.
“Yes!” said Snibril.
“Really keep a secret? Even though you’d give anything to tell other people? Even though it’s like trying to hold a hot coal in your hand? Can you really keep a secret?”
“Er… yes.”
“Well,” said the wight, leaning back again. “So can we.”
“But–”
“Enjoy your meal.”
–From ‘The Carpet People’ by Terry Pratchett
Don’t know. Figuring out whether you should actually keep a secret or not can be difficult at times. But once you’ve figured out you should keep it, it doesn’t seem that difficult to me. I would assume it’s because people love to brag, knowing secret is something you can brag about, and you can’t prove you know secrets if you don’t disclose them. I assume also that when the secret is something very serious, one could need to share the burden.
On the other hand, following Seldon post, I would want to know the secret of not spending the 2 cents in my pocket.
Radio talk-show host George Noory had an interesting take on this question: consider that nearly everyone has at least one close confidant, other than the secret-bearer. That almost creates a ready-made communications network to propagate secrets.
From the excellent analogies posted above, the thought struck me that it may actually take more will-power to keep a secret than to blab.